News Archive: 2017

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” Is Most-Played Holiday Song of the Last 50 Years Posted January 3, 2017

Gene Autry is a member of ASCAP as both a songwriter and music publisher. ASCAP annually writes about the popularity of Christmas songs written, performed, or published by their members. This article from November 2016, discusses the popularity of the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Not mentioned in the article is that Gene Autry also recorded this song in 1957 for the album "Christmastime with Gene Autry" on his own Challenge record label.

We've noted all the songs performed by Gene Autry – released on record or sung on his Melody Ranch radio show – with a star on the ASCAP Top Holiday Songs Chart.

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2016 – At this time of year, twinkling lights and the scent of mulled spices and pine unleash a flood of fond memories. But no holiday tradition brings us back like a classic holiday song. These seasonal standards hark back to simpler times, and are the most enduring harbingers of the holiday season. Of all the season's tunes, the one song listeners have heard more than any other in the last half century reminds us of another holiday staple: Santa Claus.

Cumulative data since 1966 shows that "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," written by American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) songwriters Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie and copyrighted in 1934, is the most played holiday song of the last 50 years.

In fact, ASCAP data shows that the classics still dominate the holiday charts. Among the top songs written or co-written by members of ASCAP include "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," "Winter Wonderland," "Sleigh Ride" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams commented: "The world may have changed profoundly over the last 50 years, but these songs have been part of the holiday spirit for generations. Part of the wonder of music is how it helps us continue to create real memories and traditions. These treasured songs are very special to so many people and are a beloved part of ASCAP's repertoire."

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was first performed live by singer and comedy performer, Eddie Cantor, on his radio show, and recorded by banjoist Harry Reser and his Orchestra in 1934 when it topped the sheet music charts. The lyrics encouraged children hoping to get a visit from Santa Claus to behave well, and struck fear in the hearts of little mischief-makers everywhere since Santa "sees you when you're sleeping" and "knows when you're awake."

In 1935, popular music icons began their love affair with "Santa Claus" when Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded their version. Since then, artists as varied as Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Glenn Campbell, George Strait and Andrea Bocelli have interpreted the song for each generation. In 1970, Rankin/Bass produced a television special Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town featuring legendary performer, Fred Astaire, as the narrator. Bruce Springsteen's rendition gave it a rock rebirth in 1975.

Despite the dominance of traditional tunes on the holiday charts, a few new songs have become a part of the season's canon. They include "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey, and "Last Christmas" by George Michael.

The top thirty most-played holiday songs for the recent holiday season are listed below, all written or co-written by ASCAP songwriters and composers. Each song includes songwriter credits and where available, date copyrighted.

ASCAP Top Holiday Songs Chart

1.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1934)
Written by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie

2.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1943)
Written by Ralph Blaine and Hugh Martin

Note: The list above represents an aggregation of performances of all different artist versions of each cited holiday song, across all forms of media, from 1/1/15 through 12/31/15.

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With 600,000 members representing more than 10 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter @ASCAP and on Facebook.